I had a different experience. I may have posted about them in a thread with a title similar to Mad Dog vs. HP100. I preferred the HP100s. The Mad Dogs sounded weird to me; the soundstage sounded cluttered, as though all the instruments were fighting to reach my ears the fastest. It was an odd sensation. Here's the link:

That is a strange experience, I find the MD to have excellent separation. The soundstage nice and spacious similar to the DT770. The soundstage on the soundmagic I found ok, not as good as the MD or DT770. The MD have such a thick and liquid sound, The soundmagic sounds grainy and thin when I compare then. PM phones are odd sounding though at first. It took my a while to get used to the sound.

I can't remember honestly... I would say I prefered the Details presentation on the Hp 100, but honestly I feed the Hp 100 out of my balanced NFB 10ES2 and my Mad Dog through an oDac +Indeed G3 Tube.... so my source and amp at the time where... very sub Par for driving the Mad Dog.

Honestly, the Mad Dog may be better with proper amplfication! Hp 100 out of iPhone and Mad Dog out of iPhone the Hp 100 I would think would have more deatils, due to the... more balanced sound imo. The Mad dog felt VERY thick and warm and with low end Dacs and Cheap Tubes... the details wheren't stellar...but again it's hard to make an honest statement based on the differances in my Source and amo when I owned each!

I do like the Soundmagic but like the K550 I can't find one area I prefer it over the Mad dog. I believe the Mad dog are true Hifi at mid range price. I have owned so many mid range phones and when I listen to the Dogs they just have that upgrade and next level feel. Another headphone I'm very fond of are the MA900.

How much do the mad dogs go for these days? $350? They're also planar magnetic drivers too right? I'm sure the sound signature is really different then.. it probably just comes down to personal preference.

They are 300. Yes they are different but you can still compare headphones. One can be technically better while having a different flavor.

True, but the Mad Dog requires more power to be drien properly. About 1w. Which isn't a lot but it's more than even a Fiio E21 can drive. My point being is the HP 100 is easier to drive and a better choice for new members. Who don't have powerful enough amps to drive the Mad Dog. Not to mention the price. The HP 100 is a better deal imo. It's easy to drive, and has a neutral sound. WHere as the Mad DOg is technically better, it's more expensive and requires an amplifier. Now if you have a amp powerful enough then the MD is a good choice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strider99

Thanks for all your comparisons. Maybe I should find occasion to try Mad Dog.

Again if you don't have a amp powerful enough look to something else. It's a great headphone but not one for new members or rather not for people who don't already have a nice Source and Amp to pair it with! Yes it's technically better, but the HP 100 will pair better with low end gear, cell phones and amps like the FIio E6 and E11